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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · pound · branch · season · stand · bass · mine · pitch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com